gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 6731 times:
Bye Bye Baby: U2 LTN-BFS, WW BHD-BHX
Ever since I heard about bmibaby, bmi’s no-frills offshoot, in 2002, I was interested in trying them out. However, not living near one of their bases, I never bothered trying to fly with them. During the sale of bmi to BA, the future of bmibaby was rather uncertain. Finally in early May, it was decided to shut down the company by the end of the summer season. Time to look for a flight? I managed to come across a cheap flight (£20) for a one way Belfast City-Birmingham (BHD-BHX) flight. This route was due to be shut down on the 10th June, and I wanted to get on the final flight, but prices in the final week were quite high so I settled for a week before.
To get to Belfast, I thought about booking a one way flight with bmi from Heathrow as they had a reasonably priced morning flight meaning I could make a nice day trip to Northern Ireland. However, I found a much cheaper ticket on easyJet from Luton (which is much closer to home) so went with that instead. The minimal airmiles + longer travelling times meant bmi just wasn’t worth it.
My day trip looked like this (courtesy of G C mapper):
The day dawned rather overcast....thankfully the forecast was for better weather that afternoon over in Ireland
First stop as always at Luton was the unofficial viewing area from the drop off area.
Thomson and Monarch
I’d already checked in online, but as there were no queues at the U2 desk, I went to get a proper boarding pass from the desk.
FIDS. Most mornings, Wizzair have up to 15 flights scheduled between 0700 and 0830 to destinations all over Eastern Europe, often creating a bit of a bottleneck at security. I think they actually have more activity than home airline easyJet in the morning rush.
There was a long queue for security even with all 12-odd x-rays open. Thankfully before long, the Belfast flight was read out as a “priority flight” so I got to push my way out of the queue, and to the front of a much shorter queue. By the time I was through, the gate had just flashed up on the screen.
In the old part of the terminal
Boarding was via bus, not something I’ve experienced in nearly a decade at LTN. Interestingly, the speedy borders were in a separated part of the bus with no seats. As we ended up waiting on the bus for a good ten minutes, I think they got a bit of a bad deal!
After a rather short journey, we pulled up next to “I Heart Malpensa” or G-EZDJ. The Speedy Boarders were let off first, followed by the normal boarders.
May 2012
London Luton (LTN) – Belfast International (BFS)
easyJet U2 181
Scheduled: 0750-0905 (1h15m)
Actual: 0802-0851 (0h49m)
Airbus A319
Economy
Thankfully, even after the second load of passengers boarded, the load was light enough for most people to have a row to themselves.
Legroom is ok for a sub-1 hour flight
Safety card
Ads
Traveller Magazine and the paper
Neighbour
Before too long, the safety demo was done, and we pushed off passing a good number of Wizzair planes.
Finally it’s our turn on the Startbahn
Pretty foggy this morning in Luton
But it’s nicer above the clouds
Once the seatbelt signs are off, the crew spring into action. Unfortunately for them, I don’t think a single person buys anything. I take the opportunity to grab forty winks.
Before long, we begin an early descent into Belfast International.
I was hoping to see Northern Ireland’s sole longhual flight on the tarmac (Continited 757 from EWR), but it was running a little late.
Heading toward our stand
Plenty of U2 here
Welcome to Belfast! Hurray! I’ve finally made it to the last country of the UK! It’s a bit shameful it’s taken me so long given that I’ve been to over 90 countries. Still, better late than never.
Bye plane!
The walk to arrivals was a short one. I stopped at the tourist information office to buy a bus ticket, and get a tourist guide.
I hopped on the bus into town. Belfast International is quite a distance from the city itself, but we got a fairly pleasant countryside tour on the way.
First stop, after buying a bottle of water and sandwich from Tesco, was Belfast City Council building
It was all ready for the Olympics
I then walked down Donegal Place to find the cathedral.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 1, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 6770 times:
Something high on my to-do list was to see some of the famous Belfast Murals. There are quite a few companies running tours…I was able to book myself onto black cab tour for £12. The start of the tour managed to coincide with the sun coming out too, which was nice.
The “Peace” wall between Protestant and Catholic areas
And on the Catholic side
Catholic homes the other side of the wall…imagine living here, with your garden enclosed in wire so missiles don’t destroy your house…..for the life of me, I can’t think of a single good reason why you’d live somewhere like that when you could live somewhere else.
With the mural tour completed, I headed into town for lunch. I passed this bus on the way…Belfast is the original home of Titanic.
Time for a Belfast Lager
And a tasty lunch
Sandy Row as viewed from the train station
I had originally planned on visiting the newly opened Titanic Museum. However, after talking to a good friend who’s family is from Belfast, I decided to visit the Titanica Exhibition at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum instead. Not only was it cheaper, but apparently had a lot more “bits” from the Titanic. The Titanic Museum itself apparently specialises more in the “sights and sounds” of the ship. To top it all off, the Titanic Museum is often filled with school kids…..urgh.
To get there, I took the train out of the city…it’s a lot further out than I thought. Thankfully, it’s on the same line as the Airport is on.
The first part of the museum has lots of trains….
Finally I got to the Titanic bit
I want one of these!
And then buses
Then finally planes
The Top Gear video where they blow a car away with a 744
After the museum, I headed out, and down the hill to the sea. What a gorgeous day!
From the beach, I was also able to see the arrivals into BHD. Not a lot of variety unfortunately.
Two hours before my return flight to England, I headed back to the station, then hopped on the train to the airport.
The station is about a 10 minute walk from the airport. There is a free bus service though. You have to walk through onto what looks like the airport tarmac, to a little bus shelter. From there, you make a call to security who will send a bus.
A sign from yesteryear
After a few minutes, a minibus came screeching up. The driver apologised for the wait, and proceeded to drive me quasi-airside to the terminal.
I had checked in online (the only free option), but been allocated a middle seat. Obviously, this would NOT do. The only way for me to get a window, would be to pay £5.50…not impressed. I went up to the check in desks, where the lady explained that other than paying, I had no option to change. She did say the flight was pretty empty though, so I thought there would be a good chance I’d be able to improve on 19B once onboard.
FIDS
Before going through security, I took a walk outside. I decided to join the other sunbathers on the hill outside check in for a while.
After my sunbathe, I headed through security. The queue wasn’t too long, taking about 10 minutes in total. BHD airside is not terribly interesting. There are two cafeteria style restaurants, a café, a dingy, bar, a WHSmith and a duty free shop. Prices were high in the cafes/bar, so just sat and looked out the window. I was quite disappointed with the lack of seats in the public area. I’d estimate that a good 80% of the seating in the airport was in cafes/bars. At peak times, this is NOT enough, with a lot of people left standing.
Before long, boarding started. Wanting to be able to choose my seat, I waited until everyone else had boarded.
G-TOYJ would be taking me across the Irish Channel this evening.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 2, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 6781 times:
May 2012
Belfast City (BHD) – Birmingham (BHX)
bmibaby WW 1024
Scheduled: 1905-2010 (1h05m)
Actual: 1903-1944 (0h41m)
Boeing 737
Economy
I was the last up the rear steps. Thankfully, the back few rows were nearly totally empty, so I helped myself to one. I noticed that whilst most of the plane was quite empty, around rows 15-22 were completely full – obviously other people that didn’t want to pay to choose a seat were squished in here.
Legroom was ok
With the doors closed, we pushed back nice and early.
FlyBe dominated the airport
We got some amazing views of the city after take off
Leaving the island
When the BOB started, I decided on have a few tonic waters.
Menu
Cabin
Lovely flying conditions
Safety card
Yeah Baby magazine
In the next week or so, a lot of these routes will be disappearing
Heading into some clouds
Descending into a warm Brummie evening
And we’re down nearly half an hour ahead of schedule
The evening EK B77W
Monarch, AF and FR
The BD flight to MUC or FRA, operating for LH
Bmibaby and SN
LH to DUS or HAM
She looks a little depressed
Only the front door was used for disembarking
The sun is setting on bmibaby. Bye bye baby!
We were bussed over to the terminal, and after a bit of a wait to be allowed into the terminal, I was out, and into the arrivals hall. Thankfully, there was a well placed M&S in arrivals, so I got a bottle of water and a salad for the journey home. It’s outrageous that M&S can sell 1.5L water for 39p ($0.60) in arrivals, and yet 0.5L in departures most shops will set you back at least £1.50.
Outside BHX
I thought this was funny given they are shutting the airline down in a few months
Check in
Awaiting the transit from the airport to station
I had a while to wait for my train. Thankfully it was still warm, so it was nice to sit outside with my book.
On Virgin trains
Well, that just about wraps up my one and only trip on bmibaby. What did I think? Well, I don’t like their check in system…you shouldn’t be stuck in a seat you don’t want just because you don’t want to pay to select one. How about being able to select “aisle/middle/window”…I’m sure that would please people a lot more than the current method. The staff were friendly enough, and the flight was nice and early….overall, no problems with WW. Still, by the end of the season, they will probably be a thing of the past…if you want to try then, book quickly!
easyJet were fine…a very short morning flight that I mostly slept through. Reasonable staff and an early flight. And Belfast…very nice if you can hit a sunny day! Next time I’ll go for a little longer and visit the Giants Causeway.
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 3, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 6692 times:
G'day Gabriel!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful report on 2 low cost carriers! WW has a pretty cute livery and I'm sad that it's going to be gone, although I have never flown them personally. Great that you had a light load on your U2 flight, I only had such a luxury once on FY KUL-BKI but sadly they have terminated all their jet services. Nice local pics at Belfast!
I like how WW uses baby blue for their menu, makes it look pretty cute!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 4, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 6646 times:
Hey there Gabriel Chew, nice report! Not very often we get to see BMI Baby on the forum, and nice that you managed to catch them before they went gone. While the flights looked fairly standard, the airline doesn't seem much special to me
Belfast looked really cool!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I’d already checked in online, but as there were no queues at the U2 desk, I went to get a proper boarding pass from the desk.
Hmm, really do they let people print their BP's for free without charging an arm and a leg??
"Wheels Up!"
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 5, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 6568 times:
Quoting initious (Reply 3):
Thanks for sharing this wonderful report on 2 low cost carriers!
Thanks Dan!
Quoting initious (Reply 3): Great that you had a light load on your U2 flight, I only had such a luxury once on FY KUL-BKI but sadly they have terminated all their jet services
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): Not very often we get to see BMI Baby on the forum, and nice that you managed to catch them before they went gone. While the flights looked fairly standard, the airline doesn't seem much special to me
Yes, nothing special about WW.....
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): Hmm, really do they let people print their BP's for free without charging an arm and a leg??
jwhite9185 From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 714 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 6546 times:
Belfast looks like an interesting city - shame i don't have longer there in a couple of weeks. One of those awkward situations where I've got a bit too much time to hang around in the airport, but not quite enough to leave and get back in enough time for my flight!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Well, I don’t like their check in system…you shouldn’t be stuck in a seat you don’t want just because you don’t want to pay to select one.
Flybe are the same - although i guess you know this already! bmibaby are cheaper to reserve seats though. I think to reserve seats for my 4 flights will set me back £26... no thanks.
countvis From UK - England, joined Feb 2012, 54 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 6381 times:
A very full and detailed trip report, a very fitting way of reviewing the final days of BMI Baby's short lived Belfast operation. I'm surprised the easyJet flight to Belfast was so empty - presumably this was a mid week flight?
It certainly is very sad that the airline is being closed down, especially for the employees who will be losing their jobs. I have to say the branding has never appealed to me. Great quality photos throughout and many thanks for posting.
717Flyer From Finland, joined Jun 2011, 303 posts, RR: 10 Reply 8, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 6300 times:
Hi Gabriel,
A very nice report and an appropriate tribute to BD Baby - it seems like their product is nothing special but not bad either. Personally I really would have liked catching a flight with them and I find their "... baby" branding quite cute. But most certainly that's not enough to keep an airline up and running!
Many nice pictures from Belfast as well, you really managed to do quite a lot there during your day?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): This route was due to be shut down on the 10th June, and I wanted to get on the final flight, but prices in the final week were quite high so I settled for a week before.
Many other A.netters wanting to try it out a last time maybe?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I’d already checked in online, but as there were no queues at the U2 desk, I went to get a proper boarding pass from the desk.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): Hmm, really do they let people print their BP's for free without charging an arm and a leg??
Jonas, easyJet is a class act! If they would only introduce assigned seating (and have a little bit less of ads everywhere on their planes) they would be on par with many other European carriers. Most of all I've always found the easy staff to be really nice and easy going.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Boarding was via bus, not something I’ve experienced in nearly a decade at LTN. Interestingly, the speedy borders were in a separated part of the bus with no seats. As we ended up waiting on the bus for a good ten minutes, I think they got a bit of a bad deal!
The very same happened to me at SXF, where quite a few Speedy boarders started complaining about this. And they didn't even have to wait before the bus drove off!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): After a rather short journey, we pulled up next to “I Heart Malpensa” or G-EZDJ. The Speedy Boarders were let off first, followed by the normal boarders.
What about "I Like Malpensa" or "I Love Malpensa?" BTW, I really can't agree with them on that statement.
I think it would be much more appropriate to put some "keep yourself hydrated - buy water" stuff on the seatbacks but hey, I'm not making any decisions here.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I had checked in online (the only free option), but been allocated a middle seat. Obviously, this would NOT do. The only way for me to get a window, would be to pay £5.50…not impressed. I went up to the check in desks, where the lady explained that other than paying, I had no option to change. She did say the flight was pretty empty though, so I thought there would be a good chance I’d be able to improve on 19B once onboard.
That is very cheap of them. Fortunately they allowed you to change seats while on board, wonder why no one else did? Only Air Baltic is even worse - seat selection is available upon booking for some 5-8 EUR per seat and yet all seats are available for free upon OLCI...
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 9, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 6261 times:
Thanks everyone for the comments!
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 6): One of those awkward situations where I've got a bit too much time to hang around in the airport, but not quite enough to leave and get back in enough time for my flight!
Same as what I had when I flew GLA-BHD-LGW. Including the early arrival, I have nearly 3 hours.....just not quite long enough to go into town, but waay too long for BHD!
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 6): Flybe are the same - although i guess you know this already! bmibaby are cheaper to reserve seats though. I think to reserve seats for my 4 flights will set me back £26... no thanks.
Well, with Flybe I was able to request a change of seats at check in...maybe that's not SOP though
Quoting countvis (Reply 7): A very full and detailed trip report,
Glad you liked it
Quoting countvis (Reply 7): I'm surprised the easyJet flight to Belfast was so empty - presumably this was a mid week flight?
Tuesday morning I think
Quoting countvis (Reply 7): Great quality photos throughout and many thanks for posting.
Thanks
Quoting countvis (Reply 7): I have to say the branding has never appealed to me.
Me either
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): A very nice report and an appropriate tribute to BD Baby
Thanks
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): it seems like their product is nothing special but not bad either. Personally I really would have liked catching a flight with them and I find their "... baby" branding quite cute. But most certainly that's not enough to keep an airline up and running!
I thought the Baby branding was rather naff personally!
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): Many nice pictures from Belfast as well, you really managed to do quite a lot there during your day?
Yes, well I had 10 hours, so plenty of time to explore
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): Many other A.netters wanting to try it out a last time maybe?
Maybe
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): If they would only introduce assigned seating (and have a little bit less of ads everywhere on their planes) they would be on par with many other European carriers. Most of all I've always found the easy staff to be really nice and easy going.
Well they are trialing assigned seating on some routes. as a single fit and healthy single traveller, I prefer free seating, but I guess most would prefer assigned
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): That is very cheap of them. Fortunately they allowed you to change seats while on board, wonder why no one else did? Only Air Baltic is even worse - seat selection is available upon booking for some 5-8 EUR per seat and yet all seats are available for free upon OLCI...
Yes, it's a shame you can't select for free at OLCI
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8):
Perhaps she is seeing your plane and feeling sorry for the WW staff that will soon lose their jobs?
CaptainRed From Germany, joined Oct 2010, 578 posts, RR: 19 Reply 10, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 6136 times:
Hi Gabriel,
a very interesting report with some nice pictures. Good thing you managed to log a flight on bmibaby before they are gone, although I am definitely not impressed by their policy of seat assignment. Fortunately the flight wasn't full so you could change to a window seat in the end. Still sad to see them going, their livery is cute.
You packed a lot into your visit of Belfast, well done here. I will be visiting the city as well in September (actually flying in from BHX, although on flybe) so your tour showed me bit what to expect. I would really be interested in taking that mural tour as well, but not sure if I have enough time for it. How long did that tour last?
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 11, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 6105 times:
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 10):
a very interesting report with some nice pictures.
Thanks CaptainRed!
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 10): I am definitely not impressed by their policy of seat assignment. Fortunately the flight wasn't full so you could change to a window seat in the end
Yes, lucky I could change
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 10): Still sad to see them going, their livery is cute.
I think opinions on their livery is quite polarised!
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 10): I will be visiting the city as well in September (actually flying in from BHX, although on flybe) so your tour showed me bit what to expect. I would really be interested in taking that mural tour as well, but not sure if I have enough time for it. How long did that tour last?
The tour was just over an hour. A taxi to yourself is about £30, and can pick up/drop off anywhere in the centre. Good luck!
jwhite9185 From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 714 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 6001 times:
Quoting 717Flyer (Reply 8): Only Air Baltic is even worse - seat selection is available upon booking for some 5-8 EUR per seat and yet all seats are available for free upon OLCI...
Believe it or not BA is the same. £10 for your standard economy seat up to £60 for Club World. The only class that gets it free from booking without any ff status is First.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2202 posts, RR: 14 Reply 13, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 5914 times:
Hi Gab
Nice report, seems like bmibaby did not change (or grew up) at all during the major changes at bmi.
They seem to be an ok LCC carrier, nice to have the classic 737.
Belfast seems to be an interesting little town as well so too see.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 14, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 5808 times:
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 12): Believe it or not BA is the same. £10 for your standard economy seat up to £60 for Club World. The only class that gets it free from booking without any ff status is First.
Yeah, it's a little bad that CLuib pax also have to pay. Still, it makes sense for last minute full fare pax to be able to choose where to sit
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24875 posts, RR: 60 Reply 15, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 5770 times:
Hey Gabriel
Great report and of course very familiar with me . Glad you made it to Belfast . You did a lot during your time here.
I loved the Shorts 360 pics . Olympic used to use those round the Islands , sadly I never got on one.
I'm still wanting to see the Titanic museum but maybe when it's all calmed down.
Regards the peace wall most of the residents don't have a choice they are low income Families on state aid. Not a place I'd want to live but they live in a different world than us and most other people in NI.
Thanks for the nice read.
Regards
Philip
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 16, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 5722 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 15):
Great report and of course very familiar with me
Thanks Phil
Quoting OA260 (Reply 15): Glad you made it to Belfast . You did a lot during your time here.
Yup, was a busy day!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 15): I loved the Shorts 360 pics . Olympic used to use those round the Islands , sadly I never got on one.
I LOVE to fly a Shorts...are there any still flying
Quoting OA260 (Reply 15): Regards the peace wall most of the residents don't have a choice they are low income Families on state aid. Not a place I'd want to live but they live in a different world than us and most other people in NI.
Widebodyroga From United States of America, joined Sep 2008, 471 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 5707 times:
Hey Gabriel, your report brought back a ton of memories from my own visit to BHD back in 2006. I really enjoyed the photos of Belfast.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): Something high on my to-do list was to see some of the famous Belfast Murals.
Some (most?) of them are quite eerie, but they are definitely a must see. There were quite a few of them around my hotel (in a Catholic neighborhood) but as I usually had to walk from there to downtown I saw some Protestant ones too. The transition from one neighborhood to another was quite an experience.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The station is about a 10 minute walk from the airport. There is a free bus service though. You have to walk through onto what looks like the airport tarmac, to a little bus shelter. From there, you make a call to security who will send a bus.
Quite an interesting arrangement. Was there also a bus connecting the airport to downtown? I remember using it when I was there but it didn't seem to be very popular as I was the only passenger both from and to the airport.
Too bad about what is about to happen to BMIbaby. It's always sad to see an airline disappear just like that.
Thanks for sharing
WBodyroga
Visit my aviation page: http://widebodyroga.weebly.com/
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1173 posts, RR: 29 Reply 18, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day ago) and read 5420 times:
Hi Gabriel,
Nice short report! Quite a few times I had a look at the bmibaby schedules, but I've never have come accross a suitable flight for me. Well, too late now, never again probably. You had quite the appropriate reg there with the TOY bird
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I think they actually have more activity than home airline easyJet in the morning rush.
Impressive. Also the guys at Wizz are not in the log yet, need to change that one of these.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The Speedy Boarders were let off first, followed by the normal boarders.
I strongly feel the speedy boarding thing at easyJet is a ripoff. The priority boarding at that other LCC is much cheaper. But with a load that light, there was no need for it apparently.
That just looks exactly the same as the large street in Antwerp leading to the Central Station
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Catholic homes the other side of the wall…imagine living here, with your garden enclosed in wire so missiles don’t destroy your house…..for the life of me, I can’t think of a single good reason why you’d live somewhere like that when you could live somewhere else.
You can only imagine what it is like living there. I think a large portion of these people live there to make a statement. You really don't want your kids to grow up in such a depressing place...
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The only way for me to get a window, would be to pay £5.50…not impressed.
Nope, not impressed either. Don't you just hate airlines who try to make a dollar by such stupid things...
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 19, posted (10 months 4 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 5353 times:
Thanks for the comments guys!
Quoting Widebodyroga (Reply 17): Hey Gabriel, your report brought back a ton of memories from my own visit to BHD back in 2006. I really enjoyed the photos of Belfast.
Glad I could jog your memory!
Quoting Widebodyroga (Reply 17): The transition from one neighborhood to another was quite an experience.
Yeah, it's quite an interesting hour's tour
Quoting Widebodyroga (Reply 17): Quite an interesting arrangement. Was there also a bus connecting the airport to downtown? I remember using it when I was there but it didn't seem to be very popular as I was the only passenger both from and to the airport.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 18): You had quite the appropriate reg there with the TOY bird
I think most of the fleet have such regs
Quoting sultanils (Reply 18): Impressive. Also the guys at Wizz are not in the log yet, need to change that one of these.
I need to log Wizzair too
Quoting sultanils (Reply 18): I strongly feel the speedy boarding thing at easyJet is a ripoff. The priority boarding at that other LCC is much cheaper. But with a load that light, there was no need for it apparently.
Yes, it's a complete rip off, but if people still pay....
Quoting sultanils (Reply 18): You can only imagine what it is like living there. I think a large portion of these people live there to make a statement. You really don't want your kids to grow up in such a depressing place...
You only live once...let someone else live next to the "peace wall". I don't understad why there is so much hated in the world.
airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4015 posts, RR: 52 Reply 20, posted (10 months 4 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 5281 times:
Hey Gab,
lovely report on WW. I think you´re the last one to report on them...
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): This route was due to be shut down on the 10th June, and I wanted to get on the final flight, but prices in the final week were quite high so I settled for a week before.
You were apparently not the only one with this idea
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Boarding was via bus, not something I’ve experienced in nearly a decade at LTN.
Happened once to me also, on a delayed U2 flight to AMS, operated by HV. I think it was in 1999 with snow all around. LTN was chaos (like the whole country)
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I had checked in online (the only free option), but been allocated a middle seat. Obviously, this would NOT do. The only way for me to get a window, would be to pay £5.50…not impressed.
I haven't seen this on WW before, but can't really compare since my last flight on them was 6 years ago
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): In the next week or so, a lot of these routes will be disappearing
So sad... I remember only pleasant experiences on this airline, flew them 3x on B737-500's only (all ex mainline BD)
Regards
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 42 Reply 23, posted (10 months 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 5130 times:
Howdy Gabs mate,
A very good idea for you to give one final try to BMIBaby before they disappear. I flew BHX-AMS with them two and half years ago, that was an okay flight as far as I can remember - nothing special, but nothing outright bad either. Back then I was able to get a window seat via OLCI just fine, that must've changed since.
Also a great choice of destination. I really liked my short night in Belfast one and half years ago - been meaning to go back for a more proper visit ever since but well, you know how things go... I did your airports in reverse, flying in to BHD (from GLA) and out of BFS (to Heathrow with EI).
Oh, didn't know you were doing a day trip. I thought this was just your way of getting to Ireland for your family visits and deciding to use a new airport this time...
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The day dawned rather overcast....thankfully the forecast was for better weather that afternoon over in Ireland
Hey, are you sure that is Belfast, Ireland and not Belfast, Texas for example?! So unnatural for that little green wet island.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): FIDS. Most mornings, Wizzair have up to 15 flights scheduled between 0700 and 0830 to destinations all over Eastern Europe, often creating a bit of a bottleneck at security. I think they actually have more activity than home airline easyJet in the morning rush.
Oh yeah, the Wizzair operation at LTN is very impressive. It has more flights than many of their real hubs! That's how you get your Polish plumbers, Czech dentists and Hungarian pub staff (and quite a few call girls as well, I'm sure!).
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Thankfully before long, the Belfast flight was read out as a “priority flight” so I got to push my way out of the queue, and to the front of a much shorter queue. By the time I was through, the gate had just flashed up on the screen.
So you didn't spend a few quid on one of those priority security tickets? Good boy!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Boarding was via bus, not something I’ve experienced in nearly a decade at LTN. Interestingly, the speedy borders were in a separated part of the bus with no seats. As we ended up waiting on the bus for a good ten minutes, I think they got a bit of a bad deal!
Really? That's quite odd, bus boardings at UK airports aren't very common at all. I've seen that same kind of priority bus section in some places, mostly with Wizzair I think.
Well, it is Ireland after all... "Sunday, bloody Sunday" .
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Welcome to Belfast! Hurray! I’ve finally made it to the last country of the UK! It’s a bit shameful it’s taken me so long given that I’ve been to over 90 countries. Still, better late than never.
Congratulations, but you know how it goes. You can be extremely well traveled yet don't know your own neighborhood apart from the route to the pub and supermarket...
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I hopped on the bus into town. Belfast International is quite a distance from the city itself, but we got a fairly pleasant countryside tour on the way.
Did it smell like cow poo? The whole rural setting surrounded with fields and pastures suggests there might be some "smells of the countryside" around there.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Catholic homes the other side of the wall…imagine living here, with your garden enclosed in wire so missiles don’t destroy your house…..for the life of me, I can’t think of a single good reason why you’d live somewhere like that when you could live somewhere else.
You know, somehow I have mixed feelings about this, you visiting the murals and the memorial sites and all. I mean this is Ireland, you represent the occupier being British and all that. It just doesn't really add up. I know you aren't political at all and probably don't think of it that way, but for me it still is somehow wrong, you know...
Hmm, with something added from your personal stash, perhaps?
BTW do those count as two of your "five a day" quota?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): In the next week or so, a lot of these routes will be disappearing
That's so sad. By no means was I ever a big fan of BMIBaby but still, seeing an airline shut down is just that, sad. Well maybe not for Spanair, but still.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): It’s outrageous that M&S can sell 1.5L water for 39p ($0.60) in arrivals, and yet 0.5L in departures most shops will set you back at least £1.50.
Welcome to the world of airport rip offs. At BRU airport you pay 3.60 EUR for a half a liter bottle of water. At Dubai airport you pay 20 Eurocents for a 0.33 liter bottle from a vending machine .
dc9northwest From Romania, joined Feb 2007, 1734 posts, RR: 4 Reply 24, posted (10 months 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 5076 times:
Hey Gabriel,
Really cool pics of Belfast, seems like a good place to visit, with enough to see at least for a day-trip or couple of days. Interesting history there for sure.
Getting assigned a middle seat is not good at all, lucky that the flight was almost empty. Hmmm I wonder if there's a connection between the two... People learn eventually, you know!
Nice pics of action in these airports. Weird to see the shuttle bus shuttling people back on forth on request, but I guess it works for BHD.
Anyway, thanks, it was a nice report; too bad there are routes that seem to be going away and an airline closing down... We've had too many of those this year.
Thanks for sharing,
Alex
25 dkdaviator: Hi Gabriel, Nice report about your day trip to the north. Good place to stop, there are some nice views from there. Hmmm, did not realize that. Too ba
26 gabrielchew: Yes, a great idea! Glad you approve P! Well, it'll be there for a while (hopefully) I know...my last trip to Dublin was £50 return with FR!....outra
27 Parton87: Hello Gabriel! Thanks for the good story! Nice that you were able to fly BMIBaby before they gone. Never flown them but it always sad when a airline i
28 gabrielchew: No problem Robert, glad you liked it Yes, it's a shame the staff are loosing their jobs, but at the end of the day, there is no business case to cont
29 Richcandy: Hi To understand Northern Irish politics you would need to spend a lot of time studying it. I am not an expert on the subject but Belfast is my home
30 Jambost: Hey, Great report, I love seeing a touristy perspective of N.I. especially using both airports! Belfast just seems to be getting better and better ove
31 Ideekay: Hey Gabrielchew! Very nice TR about a airline that is at it's last days. 4-5 Flights from Wizzair should departure at the same time? Haha! Hmm not so
32 gabrielchew: The whole thing is rather complicated...I can't see it being resolved any time soon. Thanks for your post Alex Thanks! Yeah, it's a lovely little cit
33 signol: Hi Gabriel, Nice report! Good flights you had, and a nice day in Belfast. I went only once myself, on a day trip on Ryanair: STN-BHD Ryanair Daytrip (
34 gabrielchew: Thanks Robin! Yes, pleasant flights, and a lovely day trip yes, the walk was short, but the bus was a (slightly) more scenic (and faster!)
35 FLIEGER67: Hi, Gabriel, such a number of interesting pictures and definitely a great read. Done the BFS/BHD combi also some two years ago. Shame that another air
36 PlaneHunter: Hi Gabriel, nice report with many good pictures. Just saw G-EZDJ at EDI and some bmi baby planes at BHX yesterday. Too bad I won't be able any more to
37 akhmad: Hi Gabriel, Thank you for the enjoyable report about your visit to Belfast. I especially like your extensive review about Belfast Murals. Congratulati
38 gabrielchew: Thanks for the comments guys! THanks Markus! Yes, always sad to had an airline vanish Thanks Udo Well, you still have a month or two Thanks Suryo, gla
39 lukeyboy95: Pishhhhh, tusshhh; 'a couple of tonics!' haha - I wonder if it rang alarm bells with the FA's! Anyway, you had a great day for this flying. Flying on
40 jwhite9185: Having read this a second time now, its amazing to see how BHD has changed in just a few weeks. It was almost entirely BE this weekend, with a token B
41 deltamartin: Hi Gabriel! Nice report just as usual! Good idea to try WW before they are gone! Always makes a LCC flight so much more enjoyable! Uhh, hideous indeed
42 adamspotter: H Gabriel, Another good report. Great idea to fly BMI baby before they are gone, haven't travelled with them myself unfortunately. Great pictures of B
43 gabrielchew: Thanks for the comments! Ha, if it did, they clearly didn't care! Yes, it's an odd brand Fish pie, yum! Well, standard was cheap. I need to cost/benef
44 ba319-131: Hi Gabriel, Nice read and pix, thanks for posting - congrats on adding bmi baby to your flown list, not managed it myself and never will me thinks. -
45 The777Man: Hi Gabriel ! Nice report with nice pictures ! Great to see you try bmibaby before they are gone. They seem okay. I had a flight with G-BVZE LHR-FCO wh
46 gabrielchew: Thanks for reading Mark, glad you liked it No, bargain! I know, terrible Ha, well not from the BOB at least Thanks Wow, that must have been a few yea
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